Misunderstandings
by Aislin
Summary: It's only the beginning...I'm editing more of it later...slightly twisted from diff episodes, but Max and Liz are basically apart because of future Max.


  
  
Liz Parker sat in her Chemistry class, her eyes glued to the board. She refused to look at her lab partner, Max Evans. It pained her to treat him so, but she had to for her own sake, and for the sake of the entire world. After being visited by Max's future counterpart, she couldn't talk to Max, or make him think in any way that she was attracted to him. Not that she wasn't attracted to him, that was far from the truth. She loved Max more than she had ever loved anyone like that, and to her he was everything. That was why she couldn't help herself. Sneaking a peak at him out of the corner of her eye, she say he was looking at her, trying to get her attention. She quickly looked back at the board and paid attention to the lesson...at least, she tried to pay attention to the lesson. That brief moment that she had looked into Max's eyes, she had felt all of his pain and frustration at her actions. She could see how much he truly loved her, and it depressed her. She hated having to be so cold towards him, and had she been slightly more selfish she would never even have considered being so mean. Yet the fate of the entire earth was on her shoulders, and that was a responsibility she'd have to deal with.   
Max tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked over again. Damn, I shouldn't have done that, she thought. Max handed her a note, and opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly, the bell rang. Whew...saved by the bell. Liz grabbed her books and shot out of the classroom like a bat out of hell. She turned a corner and leaned back against her locker, the cool metal soothing her flushed skin. Her baby blue t-shirt didn't protect her back from the cold, and soon she had goose bumps. She slowly began to unfold the note that Max had given her. As she began to read it, she slowly sank to the floor. The bell rang for the next class, but Liz was oblivious.   
Liz,   
  
Why are you ignoring me? What have I done? I don't know what I did, but it must've been pretty bad. For whatever it was, I am sorry. I am so sorry. Liz, I love you more than is humanly possible, and it's killing me inside for you to ignore me. Please, tell me what I did wrong, and I'll make it up to you somehow. Meet me at the Crashdown tonight at 7, please?  
Yours forever,  
Max  
  
Liz didn't know what to say, do, or think. Obviously Max didn't understand that she couldn't see him anymore. He only thought he had done something wrong, and that she was mad. How was she going to pull this off? Show up at the Crashdown and tell him it was over, she couldn't see him, she didn't love him? Or just stand him up? Before she could gather her thoughts, Maria DeLuca rounded the corner heading for the bathroom. Spying Liz, she stopped and looked straight down at her.  
"Liz, this is not like you! Why aren't you in class?!" she asked, confused. Liz was a straight-A student, and her skipping class was unusual...but there was that period of time when she got flashes of the crash when she kissed Max and they met in the eraser room... "Max didn't show up in the eraser room?" she asked again, hoping to get an answer from her best friend.  
Liz looked up slowly, her gaze meeting Maria's. "No, I wasn't supposed to meet Max in the eraser room. In fact, I'm not even--–--Never mind, Maria. I just don't feel so good."  
"That's bullshit, Elizabeth Parker, and you know it. Something's up, and I wanna know what. I'm not gonna stop bugging you until you tell me, so spill already, girl!" Maria persisted. Maybe she saw Tess kiss Max or something, and she's really pissed.  
"Maria, there's nothing wrong, okay? Why don't you believe me?" Liz exclaimed angrily in a low tone. Maria could be so pushy sometimes. She got up from the cold tiled floor, and stormed down the hall. Maria rushed back to her English Lit class, where she sat next to Max. She sat down rather quickly, and nearly missed her chair. Max grabbed her arm to stop her from falling.   
"Whoa, Maria, be careful!" he said lightly.   
"Don't touch me, you--you--you traitor!" She burst out.   
"What?" Max asked, a look of genuine confusion on his face.   
"You kissed Tess or something and Liz just stormed out of the school because of you!" Maria said rather loudly. Loudly enough to stop the teacher from talking.  
"Excuse me, Miss DeLuca, but is there a problem? Mr. Evans?" she asked rather impatiently.   
"No, no problem at a–l."   
"Yeah, there's a problem. E-excuse me," Max said quickly. He grabbed his backpack, shoved his books and papers in, and fled the room.  
"Miss DeLuca, would you care to explain?" Ms. Matthews asked, perturbed.   
"Umm, I--I don't know!" She stuttered.  
  
Max ran into the ally way behind Liz's balcony, and his eyes searched the sliding door...there was a light on in her room, and he could hear soft music playing. Without hesitating, he climbed up onto the balcony. Peeking into the window, he saw Liz sitting at the edge of her bed. She was holding his note in her hand, tears slipping down her cheek and onto the paper, blurring the navy ink.   
Wow...I didn't think it was that bad! She knows I wouldn't kiss Tess...what got into her? He thought. He slipped the door open quietly, like a cat. He stood in front of Liz, yet she didn't see him there through her tears. "Liz, what is it?" he asked quietly.   
She gasped as she looked up. "Max, you scared me."  
"Sorry."  
"What do you want, Max?" she asked through her tears, which she was trying to stop.   
"Why are you avoiding me, Liz? I didn't kiss Tess, you know I wouldn't do that." Max asked, hurt.   
"Max, I--I can't tell you..." Liz trailed off. She couldn't tell Max.  
Max looked even more hurt. "Liz, you can tell me anything. I know you didn't sleep with Kyle, we went over that. But I still don't understand why you're avoiding me so much. I love you, Liz. Don't do this to me." he said quietly. 


End file.
